34 Percent of American Adults Enjoy Driving a Great Deal

Thirty-four percent of American adults enjoy driving a great deal. A Gallup survey finds that another 44 percent enjoy being behind the wheel a moderate amount. But 22 percent say they don’t enjoy the experience. [1]

While 34% enjoy driving, an earlier Number of the Day noted that just 24 percent of American adults say they’ll never use a self-driving car.

Generally speaking, men enjoy driving more than women. Also, those who drive daily are more positive about the experience than those who drive less frequently.

Perhaps surprisingly, those who live in the city enjoy driving a bit more than those who live in suburban or rural settings.

When I wrote about my first experience in a self-driving car, I noted that it will take a generation or so "before we get fully autonomous cars that come when you summon them and let you ride without thinking about the road at all."

One reason for the gradual adaptation, noted in an earlier Number of the Day, is because Americans tend to hang on to their cars for an average of 11.2 years. There are still nearly two million cars on the road from the 1960s.

Although it will take time to get there, the potential benefits are significant. The vast majority of interactions between police officers and American citizens are related to cars and driving. Self-driving cars might eliminate more than 32 million such interactions every year, freeing police for other duties.

Footnotes:

1. Gallup, "83% of U.S. Adults Drive Frequently; Fewer Enjoy It a Lot," July 9, 2018

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.